“All right, we’ve got the gloves, the stockings, two dozen handkerchiefs…” Mary was ticking off the items on the list as she went, and counting herself lucky that although Juliet wasn’t enthusiastic about shopping she did happen to be quite efficient when it came to actually doing it. They’d gotten an early start that morning – Juliet had been up before Mary, as a matter of fact, and had already been out to run an errand before the older woman was even dressed. Gloria’s list had already been cleared, Meg’s had taken a bit longer but they’d managed to find everything…and now they were trying to finish the remaining two. The newspaperwoman had insisted they start with the one Gloria and Meg had made up first, and it looked like they’d be done with it just in time for lunch. “Half a dozen each of all the underthings, three more corsets, another pair of boots and a pair of slippers for the wedding.” She tapped the list with her pencil. “You need an umbrella. And a new hat.”
“The umbrella yes, but I never wear a hat at home and if I needed to there is nothing wrong with the hat I’ve got on now,” Juliet maintained.
“It’s out of fashion,” Mary countered. “And even if it wasn’t, you’ll need a winter hat soon enough anyway so it’s best we get it while we’re here. And speaking of winter, now would be a good time to get a warm wrap of some kind as well.”
“I saw just the thing.” The younger woman went to the pile of shawls folded on a nearby counter and pulled out one in heavy black wool. “Look at this, it will last forever!”
Mary had to agree. “That one’s a double, though, you don’t need one that big…”
“Not as of yet I don’t,” Juliet said, getting a faraway look in her eyes. “But eventually it won’t be just myself wrapping up in it; with one corner of it tucked up, it would make an ideal sling to carry a baby in.”
The newspaperwoman was more than a little surprised that Juliet had thought that far ahead. But then, Juliet had been surprising her a lot this trip. “You’re right, that is a good idea. Now what about the umbrella?”
There was no contention over the umbrella, although Mary noticed Juliet looking longingly at a pretty painted parasol before selecting a more utilitarian black umbrella with a sturdy wooden handle. The newspaperwoman hid a smile; for all her practicality Juliet was still a young woman with a young woman’s love of pretty, frivolous things, even though she did a good job pretending it didn’t matter. “You could use a sunshade too, you know, to protect your complexion.”
“Sunshade?” Juliet looked dubious, but she still picked up the delicate object and appraised it again. “That’s what this is for? I thought it was just an accessory.”
The storekeeper chimed in at that point; he’d been listening to the two women with carefully concealed amusement for some time now. “She’s right, young woman, the sun can do a lot of damage to that pretty skin if you don’t take proper precautions. And don’t you go putting down accessories, either; just because some less sensible than you apply them as personal decorations doesn’t mean such things don’t have a real use.”
Juliet blushed. “It was so pretty I didn’t think it could possibly be useful; but you’re right, the sun can to quite a bit of damage to a person’s skin if they don’t take proper precautions. I simply hadn’t thought about it until you mentioned it.” She put the parasol on the counter with everything else and turned back to Mary with a sigh. “I think that’s everything then, isn’t it? I don’t even want to start on my list until after lunch.”
“Another list?” The storekeeper held out his hand. “May I?” Juliet pulled out her list and handed it to him, and he looked it over thoughtfully. “Hmm, you’re in luck, I just got a shipment in a few days ago and I should have most of this. Tell you what, while you ladies are over to the restaurant I’ll bundle up everything else for you and then I’ll have a go at the crates I still have in the back to see how much of this other stuff I can turn up.”
“That would be very kind of you,” Juliet agreed. “But what about your own lunch? I wouldn’t want you to go without eating on our account.”
He beamed at her. “I appreciate
your thinking of that, young woman, but the missus will make sure I get my
The two women laughingly thanked him and then took their leave, walking out onto the boardwalk and blinking to readjust their eyes to the sunlight. The streets of Eagle Bend were not so busy now as they had been that morning, most of the residents and visitors alike having sought refuge from the hot noonday sun indoors. Wagons and carts clattered by, and a few men on horseback rode up the street bound for parts unknown. What little traffic still strolled along the boardwalk was mostly headed into the saloon or the restaurant across the street or were just vacating one of the two and returning to the business of the day.
Three dusty ranch hands crossed the street from the blacksmith’s and noisily strode up onto the boardwalk just as a little girl exited the confectioner’s with a bright stick of candy clutched in one small hand; she couldn’t have been more than five or six, a dark-skinned and dark-eyed little thing wearing a neat blue gingham dress and with a white pinafore. The men doubtless had seen the child but gave her no notice, bumping into her and in doing so pushing her off her feet. The candy landed in the dust, and seemingly as an afterthought the largest cowboy turned his head and spit a mouthful of brown liquid in the same direction. His companions laughed and complimented his aim, and the three of them continued on their way. The child pushed her small self up and went after her lost treasure; finding it, she stood looking down at the fouled treat with tearful indecision before stretching out her hand to retrieve it.
Juliet moved quickly and stopped the little hand before it reached the fallen candy. “Oh no, sweetheart, don’t touch that! Who knows what kind of diseases that awful man might have.” The ‘awful man’ in question stopped dead in his tracks when he heard that, as did his two companions. Juliet ignored them and held out her hand to the wide-eyed child. “Let’s go get you another piece of candy, all right?”
The little girl shook her head, golden-brown eyes shiny with tears. “Don’ ha’ no mo’ penny.”
Juliet’s smile widened reassuringly. “I have a spare penny we can use – I keep it for just such an emergency. Come along now.”
The little girl bit her lip, but the young woman’s smile won her over and her small brown hand slipped trustingly into the dainty white-gloved one that had been extended in her direction. She did not see the withering glare of contempt that her defender shot at the man who had pushed her before they re-entered the candy shop, nor did either of them see the man’s face redden with anger as he spat onto the weathered boards. “Why that little…”
“I wouldn’t finish that sentiment if I were you,
A tall, thin man wearing a dark green jacket had appeared behind the ranch hands on the boardwalk. He looked amused and not at all intimidated by the glares the three rough men were shooting at him. “Why not, Sullivan? She somebody special to ya?”
Sullivan leaned against one of the supports and grinned lazily. “You could say that.”
“That’s attorney-at-law to you,” the man replied, unruffled. “I’ll have you know my services were retained this morning by a very worthy client. Now that particular lady’s name is Miss Juliet Moore, but I believe you boys might be more familiar with the name she’ll acquire next month: Mrs. Ezra Standish.”
The two hands with
“He ain’t in town,”
“He may not be here but I am.” Sullivan didn’t so much as shift his weight, but the indolent drawl had left his smooth tenor and his black eyes had hardened. “You’d best keep your cretinous impulses to yourself.”
The younger of
The gambler watched them walk back to their horses with a slight, satisfied smile on his face. He didn’t move when he heard heavy boots come up behind him on the boardwalk. “Sheriff.”
“I’d deputize you if you weren’t so much trouble,” the older man said, watching the departing trail hands as well. He’d been in the barber shop and had overheard most of the conversation. “But since I’m not a glutton for punishment I guess I’ll just thank you for handlin’ those boys for me.”
“I couldn’t be your deputy anyway, you can’t afford me,” the gambler chuckled. “And no thanks are necessary, I didn’t do it for you. As of this morning the woman in question is not only my friend’s fiancée but also a client of my law practice, it would be bad business to let anything happen to her.”
That made Sheriff James frown. “Somethin’ goin’ on, Sullivan?”
“Not with her.” Sullivan knew from experience that his client’s privacy would be better protected if he gave out enough information to keep wild rumors from starting. “She was retaining my services on behalf of some friends who apparently did not possess the funds to hire a lawyer on their own,” he answered. “It’s rather a tragic case, actually, and I’ve already sent off some telegrams to obtain more information.”
“Guess I don’t have to warn you to play it straight, do I?”
“Even if Ezra weren’t my friend, I would hardly defraud an honest
client,” the gambler replied, unoffended; if James
had really had concerns about the situation he knew the cautious sheriff would
be taking them to his new client instead of standing here talking to him. “And as my friend plans on returning to the
practice of law himself after his wedding, I must take extra care to retain my
reputation as an honest lawyer if I don’t want to lose business to him –
Juliet and Mary reappeared before the sheriff could comment with the little girl still in tow and now clutching an identical stick of candy to the one that was lying in the street. James sighed when he saw the child. “So that’s what it was all about. Damn those boys anyway, as if we don’t get enough of that fool-headedness from the Murphys.” He tipped his hat when the women looked in his direction and received two nods in return before they crossed the street. “Think I’ll go make sure that Dawson really does leave for the day – last thing I need is him to get some stupid idea in his thick head, we’d have the whole pack from Four Corners riding out here with drawn guns. You gonna be around?”
Sullivan smiled. “I believe I shall go have my lunch right now, and then I’ll be over at the telegraph office for a time before returning to my own abode. I will most likely see you in passing somewhere between the two.” James accepted that with a nod and headed back to the jail – which just happened to be across the street from the livery – and Sullivan straightened his hat and walked across the street toward the restaurant. He saw his new client taking leave of the little girl at the entrance to the alley while the older woman looked on and briefly considered waiting for them, then decided against it and went on in himself, finding a seat that would afford him a good view of both the door and the other tables.
The restaurant was busy, but by the time he’d finished eating most of the crowd had cleared out and only a handful of patrons remained lingering over their meals. Dan was finishing the last of his coffee when a woman’s raised voice from the kitchen made him pause mid-sip. He sighed silently and shook his head. Wonderful, more ‘fool-headedness’ – as though we haven’t had enough today. Wonder what it was this time…
The angry tirade was loud enough to be heard but not so much so that actual words could be discerned, and for those sitting near the back a fainter voice could be discerned trying to reply but being continuously cut off. Juliet stiffened when she heard that soft, apologetically pleading voice say something that sounded like Emmeline; the little girl had told them that her mother was the cook at the restaurant. She took a look around the busy restaurant at the other patrons, none of whom seemed to be paying any attention at all to the verbal altercation going on in the kitchen and her lips pressed together in a thin line. “It looks like this is a normal occurrence here,” she said in a low voice that only Mary could hear and then she went back to eating, the only difference now being that she seemed to be paying unusual attention to every bite she took and the look on her face was very thoughtful.
Across the room, Dan Sullivan hid a smile. He found it ironic, in a way,
that his small and very Southern client was so obviously affronted by a
Northerner’s treatment of a Negro – the Murphys, who
owned the restaurant, were from
Gloria was tidying up the store that afternoon, the oppressive heat having slowed business down to a trickle, when Ezra came in with a hesitant, half-worried expression that she well remembered from the evening he’d brought Juliet flowers. She hid a smile. “Mr. Standish, is there something I can help you with?”
“Actually…” He came over to the lace counter and looked around again as though verifying that the store was empty except for the two of them. “While Juliet is gone ah felt ah needed to take this opportunity to, well…” He fumbled in his coat pocket and fished out a small velvet bag, handing it to Gloria. “Ah had a small contribution to make to her weddin’ dress—if you think they’ll suit, of course.”
Mystified, Gloria took the bag and began working open the drawstring. “And you couldn’t make this contribution with Julie here because…” The bag opened and she gasped. “Oh my goodness.” She looked up at the gambler with eyes full of wonder and disbelief. “Mr. Standish, are these…”
“They’re sapphires and yes, they’re real,” he said quietly, seeming almost embarrassed. “Ah kept back the ones that were of a quality fit to be made into jewelry and ah thought the rest might be a fittin’ addition to her dress—and ah knew she would never accept them from me due to their apparent value. But ah have been savin’ them for several years for just such an occasion.”
Gloria poked one finger into the bag, moving the stones around. “This is a king’s ransom in jewels…where did you get these?”
The gambler shrugged and relaxed a little; the question had been curious, not accusing. “The bag was offered up in a poker game I was involved in and I had no choice but to accept it as the stakes had gotten rather high and the gentleman I was engaged with had been foolish enough to overbet himself. He was the owner of a mine, I believe, recently returned from checkin’ his holdin’s somewhere overseas.”
“I should certainly hope so,” Gloria replied faintly. “It was either that or he was some sort of pirate.” She gingerly picked out one of the stones, holding it up to the light and examining it with awe. “This is beautiful.”
“So is Juliet,” Ezra said with a smile. “Will they do? Ah wasn’t certain if they would lend themselves ornamentally to her dress…”
“We’ll make certain they do,” she assured him, dropping the stone back into the bag and carefully closing it back up. “If nothing else, we can put them in her hair; she’ll look like a princess! Oh, she’s going to be beautiful!”
“She would have been beautiful anyway,” Ezra replied quietly. “I am glad you can use them, though. You do understand why I couldn’t offer them to Juliet herself?”
“She would never have accepted them,” the storekeeper said. “To be honest, Mr. Standish, I’m not sure I should even accept them; you’re trusting me with a fortune.”
“I wouldn’t hesitate to,” he said gravely. “But those are not so valuable as you might think. Mr. Corielle did me the favor of lookin’ them over while he and Mr. McLaughlin were here last week and, being somewhat more skilled at appraising gems than I, he helped me to sort out the good from the not so good. As lovely as these particular stones appear, he assured me that they are virtually worthless as sapphires go and would best be utilized as spangles – he said that Mr. McLaughlin’s wife embeds such as these in the paving tiles around her garden to catch the light.”
Gloria’s mouth dropped open. “My goodness, they must be wealthy beyond belief to do such a thing!”
Ezra chuckled. “Apparently – and yet Juliet’s brother is one of the least ostentatious men I have ever been privileged to make the acquaintance of.”
“He seemed a very nice man,” Gloria agreed. Then she frowned. “Mr. Standish, I think there is something else you and I should discuss while Julie is away. I’ve…heard the rumors going around town about your mother, and I feel like I should ask you how much of it is true.”
The younger man seemed to age ten years right before her eyes. “All of it, most likely,” he said heavily. “Ah fear that even the most imaginative tale-spinner in Four Corners would fall short of what Mother is actually capable of when she feels her interests are bein’ thwarted.” He gave her an apologetic, slightly wary look. “Ah’m sorry, Mrs. Potter, ah know ah should have informed you of this…situation when ah requested your blessin’ to ask for Juliet’s hand…”
“My answer wouldn’t have been any different,” she replied, impulsively reaching out to cover the hand resting on the counter with her own. “Mr…Ezra, that wasn’t why I brought it up. I just wanted to know your side of the story, not all the wild rumor that’s been flying around this past week. Did your mother really try to kill you to keep you from marrying your first wife?”
Ezra flinched; apparently he’d underestimated the town’s tale-spinners, at that. “Yes,” he answered. “Although ah’ve told no one that detail. An…associate of hers was the one who actually carried out the plot, ah was simply lucky that ah recognized the acrid tang of bitter almonds before ah’d ingested enough to be fatal.” He managed a small smile. “Unfortunately the only available cure for what ah did take in left me with an aversion to milk and cream which borders on hatred; it is all ah can do not to cringe when ah see our young sheriff down his daily mug of the horrid stuff.”
“I can just imagine,” was Gloria’s sympathetic reply; she was well aware of the course of treatment for cyanide poisoning, having informed many purchasers of the powerful rat poison of what to do if a child accidentally ate some of it. She tightened her hand on his. “Oh Ezra, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how a mother could do such a thing to her own child.”
The gambler started to say something…and then stopped. A barrier fell behind the green eyes. “Nor can I,” he agreed slowly, meeting her gaze. “Ah…ah would have cut off one of mah own limbs rather than see harm come to mah daughter, much less inflict that harm myself..”
“Any parent would – any normal parent,” she qualified when he raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure you were a wonderful father.”
Ezra smiled with an effort. “Ah did mah best.” He carefully extracted his hand from hers and she saw the barrier come back up. “Ah have probably taken up enough of your time today, and ah should be gettin’ on to the jail to take over from Mr. Wilmington for the afternoon. Good day to you, Mrs. Potter.”
“Good day to you, Mr. Standish.” He tipped his hat to her at the door before heading out onto the boardwalk, and Gloria shook her head and blinked hard before pulling out a handkerchief to dab at her eyes. “I’m sure you were a wonderful husband, too,” she murmured, and then went back to straightening the lace counter. “Much like mine, I’m sure.”
If Juliet seemed a little preoccupied after lunch, Mary attributed it to a long morning and didn’t put much further thought into it. The younger woman plunged into getting all the things she wanted for the house with an enthusiasm that showed very clearly how little she’d actually enjoyed the shopping that morning, and the rather spirited discussion she’d gotten into with Mr. Wilson the storekeeper over the merits of various types of cookware had drawn out his wife and resulted in the two of them being invited to have dinner with the couple that evening – an invitation they’d gladly accepted after the unpleasantness at the restaurant earlier.
It never occurred to Mary that it was that unpleasantness that was still weighing on Juliet’s mind.
The rest of the afternoon passed swiftly, and by the time all the shopping was finished they were both tired and Mrs. Potter’s wagon was full. Their last acquisition, a rocking chair, was tied on top of everything else, and Juliet ran her hands along the smooth-worn wood one last time before leaving the livery. “I am so glad we were able to find that,” she told Mary.
“You were determined to find one,” the newspaperwoman countered with curious amusement.
Juliet didn’t miss the unasked question. “My grandmother had one, and I had one
back…in
Mary frowned. “Wasn’t your uncle able to get any of your things back from there? Not anything at all?”
“No, nothing.” The younger woman shivered. “It was all…long gone.”
She had actually paled a little, and Mary flinched inwardly when she remembered Gloria’s warning. “I’m sorry, Juliet,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“They weren’t all bad,” Juliet corrected quickly, but the indigo eyes momentarily held a look of loss so deep it was heartbreaking. “But memories is all they are, now.” Mary had the disquieting feeling that there was a hidden meaning behind those words, but before she could say anything else the younger woman had pulled herself back to the present with a little shake. “I’m afraid I have one last errand to run, did you want me to meet you back at the hotel?”
“No, I’ll go with you.” There was no way on earth Mary was going to let Juliet run off by herself in Eagle Bend – it was bad enough that she’d taken off early that morning unescorted. She fell into step beside the younger woman and cocked an eyebrow at her. “I thought we’d gotten everything?”
“We did.” Juliet’s expression hardened and a slight frown drew a line between her eyebrows. “I need to stop at the restaurant and have a word with the cook.”
That took Mary by surprise. “But Mr. Wilson and his wife asked us to dinner…”
“We aren’t going into the restaurant,” Juliet corrected. “We’re going behind it, to the kitchen entrance. There’s someone I want to talk to.” She gave the older woman a not-unsympathetic look. “You don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to. If that woman from earlier happens along while I’m trying to steal her cook things might become unpleasant.”
Mary’s mouth dropped open. “You
want that little girl’s mother to come to
Juliet beamed up at her and, taking her hand, pulled her into the alley
beside the restaurant and around the back of the building to a screened door
much like the kitchen door of the hotel at
This time the child shook her head and sniffed. “I ain’t ‘lowed in no mo’.”
“I see. All right, then, we’ll do this a different way.” Juliet patted the little girl’s head reassuringly, then stood up and straightened her skirt before stepping up on the stoop and knocking on the door’s wooden frame.
After a moment the door swung open. “Emmy, I told you honey…” The young black woman stopped mid-sentence when she saw the two women standing outside. She recognized the shorter, dark-haired one at once from her daughter’s story about her stick candy earlier that day; there was certainly no one living in town that looked like her. “You’re the one that helped my Emmy at lunchtime, aren’t you? Ah’m much obliged to you for that, miss.”
“I’m just glad I was there.” Juliet smiled and held out her hand. “Juliet Moore, Miss…?”
The young black woman took the offered hand, looking somewhat surprised. “It’s just Janey, Miz Moore.”
“Then it’s just Juliet,” was the firm but friendly reply. “And I don’t want to get you into trouble, so I’ll make this quick.” Juliet took a deep breath. “I wanted to ask you if you’d like a job, Janey.” She held up her hand when the other woman started to say something. “No, just listen first. I’m the cook at the hotel in Four Corners, but I’m gettin’ married next month and I told Mrs. Abbott that I’d find someone to take my place before then. I’m not sure what they’re payin’ you here, but one thing I can guarantee is that you won’t have to put up with,” a look of mingled disgust and anger flickered across her face and darkened her indigo eyes, “with what ah heard at lunchtime. Would you be interested?”
Janey’s mouth formed an astonished round ‘o’. “M…Juliet, ah…ah don’t know what to say. You don’t even know us from Adam. Are you certain…”
“Very – and you don’t know me either, so we’re even on that. Mrs. Abbott said whomever I picked was fine with her, and I’ve picked you - you’re at least as good a cook as I am, perhaps even a better one.” She read tentative acceptance in the other woman’s face and smiled. “Is there anyone here who would bring you and Emmeline to Four Corners next week? I hate to rush you, but…”
“No, no no, that’s fine,” Janey interrupted, still looking a little dazed. “Ain’t no rush a’tall, me an’ Emmy’d be more than glad to leave this place. And ol’ Moses Able has a wagon, he’d bring us if ah ask him to, if you’re sure…”
“I’m sure.” Juliet held out her hand, and after a moment’s hesitation Janey took it. “I’ll make arrangements when I get back, you just get yourselves there. I’d best let you get back to work now before that woman returns. Wire me if there’s going to be any problem, all right?”
Janey nodded. “Ah will – send a telegram before we leave, too.” She hesitated again. “Are there…ah mean, it don’t really matter none, but are there…”
“There’s Mr. Jackson,” Juliet answered at once. “He’s the town’s healer as well as one of its lawmen, he seems quite well accepted from what I’ve seen.” She smiled brightly. “I’ll be seein’ the two of you next week, then?”
The other woman nodded and finally smiled herself. “You’ll be seein’ us. And Juliet…thank you.”
Juliet beamed at her. “No, thank you, Janey. You won’t regret trustin’ me, ah promise.”
Janey picked up Emmeline and hugged her as the two women left the alley. “Ah already trusted you once today without even knowin’ you at all, reckon ah can do it again now we’ve been introduced,” she murmured. “An’ Four Corners can’t be no worse than here, ah’m certain of that. Ain’t no Miz Murphy in Four Corners.” She set Emmeline back down on the stoop, dropping a kiss on the top of her head as she did so. “Now Emmy, you stay right here until I’m done in the kitchen, all right? An’ you don’t say nothin’ to anyone ‘bout this, it’ll be our secret ‘til next week.”
The little girl nodded her head and made her small self comfortable on the stoop again when her mother went back into the kitchen. Then she smiled to herself and giggled quietly. “No mo’ Miz Murphy,” she sang softly to herself, picking up a stick and drawing with it in the dirt. “No mo’ mean Miz Murphy.”
Nathan was just heading back to his clinic when he noticed the figure in the blue jacket sitting alone on the front steps of his house, just staring out over the town. The way the man was slouched against the porch support screamed loneliness, and the healer froze just shy of the boardwalk in response to that silent cry. He’d known that Juliet had gone to Eagle Bend with Mary Travis for three days, but he hadn’t realized the effect the little woman’s absence would have on the gambler. My God in heaven, he really is in love with her, Nathan realized. Not that he hadn’t know that before, but until this moment he hadn’t…fully taken in the reality of it. A small part of him tried, reflexively, to attribute Ezra’s desolate mien to some overblown ploy; but that bitter little inner voice that was so prone to judge and accuse was sounding rather flat these days. He considered going over and saying hello to the gambler…but then he saw Vin come around the side of the house and step up onto the porch. The tracker took up position leaning against the support opposite Ezra’s and also looked out over the town, and Nathan saw Ezra respond to something Vin had said with laughter.
With a sigh, the healer mounted the stairs up to his clinic but didn’t go inside; instead he dropped down on the bench that sat beside his door and looked out over the dusty street himself. He was surprised, to say the least, when JD came up the stairs a few moments later and plopped down beside him. “You need somethin’?”
“Nope. Looked like you did, though.” When Nathan raised an eyebrow at him, JD grinned. “Looked like you needed company, Nate, seemed like you had something on your mind.”
“Bet I know what it is, too.” Buck had come up right after JD and leaned against the doorframe on the other side of the bench. “She been pushin’ you again?”
“Yep.” Nathan should have known the ladies’ man would notice. “She wants to get married right now, don’t want to wait. I keep tellin’ her I can’t support a family…but she just don’t understand.”
“Couldn’t she find some work to do?” JD wanted to know. “I mean, Miss Julie is gonna keep on doing the baking for the hotel even though she ain’t gonna be their cook any more, couldn’t Rain do something like that to help you out?”
“Wouldn’t be nothin’ she could do ‘round here,” Nathan replied glumly. “She’s lived up at the village her whole life, pretty much, and she just don’t understand how to live in a town.”
“And she don’t want to try?” Leave it to Buck to hit the nail on the head when it came to the female of the species. “And you don’t want to go live up in the village ‘cause you like it here.” He sighed and patted the healer on the shoulder. “Was kind of afraid of this when you got serious with her, but I was hopin’ she’d come around and shift herself down here, maybe start helpin’ you in the clinic or something.”
Nathan snorted, remembering Rain’s response to that very suggestion. “That ain’t gonna happen.” He glanced back down the street again with a puzzled expression. “Why’s Miss Julie gonna keep workin’? I know gamblin’ ain’t exactly a regular income, but I still can’t picture Ezra lettin’ his wife help out that way.”
Unseen by the healer, Buck smiled; even as little as a month or two ago, he was sure that Nathan would have railed against the gambler and accused him of being lazy and letting his wife support him. “The way I hear it they worked it out this way ‘cause Miss Julie can’t imagine not helpin’ out and ol’ Ez would do a hell of a lot more than go along with her doing Miz Abbott’s baking if it means makin’ her happy.
“And he ain’t gonna stay a professional gambler,” JD put in. “Ez says he’s got to have a more ‘respectable profession’ now that he has a family to think about again.”
Buck nodded. “He’ll probably go back to bein’ a lawyer, then. Town could use one.”
Nathan’s eyes widened and he sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean, go back to bein’ a lawyer? When was he a lawyer?”
“Back in Virginia, Rosa May told us about it.” When he saw a flicker of suspicious disbelief cross the healer’s face JD quickly added, “And Judge Travis knew about it too.”
“Parently Ez don’t like crooked lawyers much,” Buck chuckled. “’Specially not if they’re workin’ for Miss Maude. The judge didn’t care much for his way of dealin’ with the problem so he held him in contempt of court.”
“What did he do, shoot the other lawyer?” Nathan wanted to know.
“Yeah, Nathan, that was it,” JD answered sarcastically. “He killed the guy right there in the courtroom but the judge only gave him thirty days for it because he’d already won the case.”
“Back down, kid, he didn’t mean nothin’ by it,” Buck reprimanded, grimacing slightly and rolling his eyes. “He just opened his mouth without knowin’ what was in it again. Dammit Nathan, that shit’s gonna get you killed one day.”
The healer made a face. “So I been told.”
“Well, maybe you oughta start listening,” JD informed him, standing up. “I’ve gotta get back down to the jail, I’ll see you guys at supper.”
Buck just nodded, and then winced when the sheriff clattered down the stairs at full speed. “Damned kid’s gonna break his neck doin’ that one of these days – know I’d break mine if I tried it.”
Nathan snorted. “Kinda like Ezra and Vin gettin’ up on the roof, scramblin’ around like they do. But they’re all a lot smaller than we are, Buck, an’ not as heavy.” He glanced down the street again and saw Ezra lean over to swat at Vin with his hat, and he smiled a little ruefully. “Saw him sittin’ over there alone before I came up here, almost went over to talk to him and then I saw Vin.”
“Yeah, might not be a good idea to get around Vin,” Buck agreed, rubbing his chin. “Ez most likely would have appreciated the company, though.”
“You sure about that?” The healer cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at him. “Seem to remember him bein’ of a mind to kill me rather than talk to me.”
“Brought that on yourself,” Buck countered easily. “But Ezra’s a gentleman, he won’t be rude ‘less you give him cause.” He gave Nathan a look that was half amused, half serious. “Think you can talk to the man without givin’ him cause?”
Brown eyes met blue, and then Nathan looked away, out over the town. “Guess I’m gonna have to try, sooner or later.”
